Carl Edwards had some damage to his car, but he hardly knew it. Credit: CIA Stock Photo

Brown's debut vaults Edwards back in top five

New crew chief shocked by job change, but overcomes challenges

AVONDALE, Ariz. -- Wally Brown experienced every problem under the blazing Phoenix sun in his first race as a Nextel Cup crew chief.

Carl Edwards earned his third top-five finish of the season at Phoenix. Credit: Autostock

Subway Fresh 500 Unofficial Results Pos. Driver Make 1. Kevin Harvick Chevy 2. Tony Stewart Chevy 3. Matt Kenseth Ford 4. Carl Edwards Ford 5. Clint Bowyer Chevy 6. Kasey Kahne Dodge 7. Jimmie Johnson Chevy 8. Bobby Labonte Dodge 9. Jeff Burton Chevy 10. Jeff Gordon Chevy • Unofficial results, click here • Unofficial standings, click here Victory LaneKevin Harvick celebrates his win in the Subway Fresh 500 Final lapsHarvick passes Stewart and Biffle late to take the checkers Race reactionTony Stewart rebounds after starting 43rd Chain reactionJunior spins Petty, setting off a chain reaction on Lap 223 Multi-car wreckWaltrip and Sadler get the worst of a multi-car wreck Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836

Somehow, everything worked out.

Carl Edwards snapped a two-race skid with a fourth-place finish at Phoenix International Raceway on Saturday, but more importantly, his relationship with Brown got off on the right foot.

Edwards and Brown were only 55 laps into their new marriage when Edwards hit Kyle Petty during the team's first pit stop. Edwards was peering into his rearview mirror as he brought his car down pit road, and he ran smack into Petty's Dodge.

Brown sat on the pit box and fibbed his head off to Edwards, telling his driver that the car had no damage.

It worked.

Edwards believed his new crew chief, even though the left front of his Ford was pushed in. It took the team an extra stop to fix the dent.

"I just ran into Kyle on pit road. He stopped to let someone in, and I ran into him," Edwards said. "They told me it was fine; it is really not that bad. Wally kind of lied and said it was perfect, no damage.

"Worked really well. I am really proud of Wally."

Brown was moved from Roush Racing's lead engineer to Edwards' crew chief less than a week ago, leaving Edwards without Bob Osborne, the ex-engineer who was considered a major reason behind Edwards' four-win explosion in 2005. Osborne, in turn, became crew chief for Jamie McMurray.

"Bob Osborne built a hell of a team, and I think Wally is going to do a great job," Edwards said.

Everyone -- even those within the Roush Racing camp -- met the move with surprise, mainly because team owner Jack Roush gave no indication he was about to make such a move.

The move even shocked Brown. His old job was to manage the myriad of engineers at the team's shop in Concord, N.C.

"I thought it was crazy," Brown said. "He's done changes before and they've been real successful. I guess he felt like he needed to move some people around, so I accept the challenge."

CHANGES AT ROUSH Roush Racing announced that two of its Cup teams will have new crew chiefs at Phoenix.  •   Complete story, click here Carl Edwards sees Jack Roush's decision to shift crew chief Bob Osborne to Jamie McMurray's car as a move to spark McMurray's season, not his own.  •   Complete story, click here Mark Martin does not believe the decision to change crew chiefs of Roush Racing teammates was a sign of panic.  •   Complete story, click here Jamie McMurray understands that a change was needed on his Roush Racing team.  •   Complete story, click here

Brown was granted his challenge at Phoenix.

After the pit accident, he had to deal with the track position that Edwards lost, and he had to keep an eye on the fuel mileage. Two Roush cars (Greg Biffle, Mark Martin) ran out in the closing laps.

Edwards has had bad luck all season. He was caught up in a crash in the season-opening Daytona 500, and he met the same fate two weeks ago at Texas.

To counteract the demons, Edwards' fan club sent him a horseshoe, which his team mounted onto its pit box.

"I think that really helped a lot," Edwards said.

Having Brown on the pit box helped, too.

"The way things have been going man, I got in that deal on pit road, and I thought, 'Man, not again,'" Edwards said. "[Wally] had to do a lot of decision-making [Saturday].

"We argued over some changes, and he did what he wanted and he was right. That is pretty cool."